


Bodylock (No Tap Outs Here)

by smugrobotics



Category: Warrior (2011)
Genre: Coda, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-04
Updated: 2013-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-28 04:48:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smugrobotics/pseuds/smugrobotics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy learns there's another option in life besides fight or flight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Tommy is released from Camp Pendleton Military Prison, Brendan is waiting for him. Brendan doesn’t say that he had to take time off work, though Tommy knows he did, or that the plane ticket he hands him was bought with Brendan’s own money, though Tommy knows that, too.

The only thing Brendan does is pull Tommy into a hug, hand gentle on the shoulder he’d popped six months ago, and whisper “It’s good to see you again, Tommy,” unevenly against the side of his face.

Tommy doesn’t know how to handle that, so he just pats Brendan on the back and pulls away. “Yeah, man. You, too,” he says gruffly when they’ve parted. Brendan looks a little disappointed, but he covers it well. That’s fine; Tommy’s used to disappointing people. Brendan should probably get used to it, too

They grab a burger on the way to the airport, and Tommy devours it, conscious that it might be the last bit of junk food he gets to eat for a while. No room for crap in his body during training.

The ride and the flight are mostly quiet, and it makes them both uncomfortable. Tommy wants to break it, ask about Tess, or the girls, or Pop, but every time he looks at Brendan, two images superimpose themselves on Tommy’s memory: Brendan holding him close, protecting him as he led him to the locker rooms, and Brendan shaking his head and telling Ma that he was staying with Paddy.

It’d be nice to think that everything was fixed with that one moment of catharsis, but this is a snake pit. As much as Tommy wants his brother back, he’s scared. Terrified. He’s lost so many brothers over the years, he’s not sure he can handle losing this one twice.

In the end, Tommy doesn’t have to say anything, because Brendan starts talking. It’s like floodgates have opened He talks about the kids at his school, his oldest’s growing obsession with MMA (which Tess finds vaguely disturbing), the dinner with Pilar and how lovely she was and how well their kids had gotten along. It’s nice. Tommy likes listening to his life.

Six hours later, they’re back in Pittsburgh and Tommy is trying to figure out how he can get the money for a motel without asking Brendan. When he asks Brendan to drop him off at a Motel 6, though, Brendan laughs. “No way, Tommy. Tess and the girls are waiting. You’re coming home.”

“Nah, man. You don’t gotta-I’m good,” Tommy rubs at the back of his neck and looks at the window, feeling like he’s been in a constant state of discomfort since he left the prison.

“No argument. Tess is making chili. You don’t want to miss that.”

Tommy grunts, and that seems to be the end of the conversation.

Later, full on his first home cooked meal in what seems like years and exhausted from letting Emily and Rosie climb all over him, Tommy lays in the bed in the spare room, tossing and turning. He doesn’t belong here. This world…it isn’t his.

He doesn’t even have to repack. Just grabs his duffel and heads to the door. Better to leave now before everything goes to hell.

He has one hand on the doorknob when a voice in the darkness stops him.

“Tommy? What are you doing, man?” Brendan is on the couch, sound sleep gruff as he speaks, and Tommy's heart is going a mile a minute. Shit, he nearly pissed himself he was so surprised.

“Jesus Christ, Brendan, what the fuck?” Tommy whispers, because it’s after midnight and the girls are asleep. He turns a little to hide his duffel, but Brendan isn’t an idiot.

“Oh, Tess’ chili always throws my stomach for a loop. Means I have to sleep on the couch, but it’s worth it,” Brendan says, and Tommy releases the doorknob. “You want to keep me company?”

Brendan doesn’t tell Tommy that he’s lying, that he knew Tommy would try to bail at the first possible opportunity and wasn’t about to let Tommy run again. Brendan doesn’t tell him that.

But Tommy knows.


	2. Chapter 2

Even three months after he’s released, which is nine months after Sparta, Tommy still gets recognized on the streets. The YouTube video of the fight has over a million hits, and his trial was high profile enough that he’s something of a mini celebrity. Even when he’s walking around with his hood pulled up and his beanie worn low, he sometimes gets stopped.

Tommy hates it. Every time someone stops him, it’s just another reminder that the entire world saw him break. But these are the people who got him out of prison, so he smiles, and shakes hands, and signs autographs when they press scraps of paper into his hands.

He knows, if he gets back into fighting, it’s just going to get worse, but Tommy doesn’t have anything else. Fighting is what he knows and it’s the only thing he’s good at. He can’t live on Brendan’s generosity forever.

Brendan doesn’t take the news well. He starts in on Tommy about long term plans and how fighting is going to tear him up and spit him out, and he’s already 28 and won’t be able to do it for much longer. Tommy chews on his toothpick and listens. It’s only when Brendan starts in on Tommy’s education again does he say anything.

“Brendan, man, I told you. That college shit? That’s all you. None of that is for me,” he says, and he can tell it pisses Brendan off.

“Tommy, look. I know you didn’t get a chance to even think about college because of mom-,” Brendan starts, and Tommy isn’t about to let Brendan spout off about shit that he doesn’t know the first thing about and soon they’re talking over each other.

“You don’t want to go there, Bren-“

“But if you’d just try it, why won’t you-“

“-I’m not going to go to some pussy ass college and get some-“

“I’m not going to watch you get your brains bashed in when you don’t even need the mon-“

“I’m too fucking stupid for that shit so just shut up about it!”

The silence that follows makes Tommy’s ears ring like a punch to the temple. Brendan looks shocked, gutted.

“Tommy. You’re not stupid,” Brendan starts to say, but Tommy is too off balance and raw to listen anymore. He gets up slowly and pushes his chair back into place under the table while Brendan says his name like a broken record, trying to get his attention.

“I’m going to bed. I’m an adult. If I want to fight, I’m going to fight. You don’t like it, kick me out.”

Brendan lets Tommy go, but in the morning there’s an application for the local community college outside his door with Frank Campana’s business card clipped to the top. On the back, in Brendan’s scrawling handwriting, is ‘No reason you can’t do both.’

Tommy pockets the card and throws the application in the trash.

Ten minutes later, he fishes it out and sticks it in the desk drawer in his bedroom instead.

Just in case.


	3. Chapter 3

Tommy still has bad days. The anger isn't gone, and though he's working on it with Brendan and the psychologist that Brendan and Tess insisted he see, Tommy can't always bury the rage. 

Weird things trigger it. Like when Brendan wants Tommy to come in and give a speech to his school for career day. Or when Tess does his laundry for him like she's his god damn mom or something. Or tonight, with what happened at Pop's house.

See, Pop still isn't allowed at Brendan's house. Brendan says they need to keep proper boundaries in place and that they aren't at a point where either Tess or him feel comfortable with Paddy in the house. Instead, once a month they pack the girls up and drive out to Pittsburgh for a weekend visit. Tommy doesn't go. It's not because of Pop. He just usually has training all weekend and can't afford to take the time off. But this time the girls have been begging him for two weeks straight, and his trainer has the flu anyway, so Tommy drives out after his Friday session, arriving just an hour or two after the rest of them.

Tommy feels the anger start to prickle in the pit of his stomach the moment he walks in the house. There's wrapping paper all over the living room floor - Paddy bought the girls presents. And he cooked. And he's fawning all over his grandchildren like the type of man who'd never wrapped his hands around his wife's throat and squeezed and squeezed and squeezed. 

Brendan is the first to notice that something's wrong. Tommy is sitting at the opposite end of the table, staring at Paddy, leg jittering up and down so hard that the silverware is shaking. Brendan leans over and, in a low voice, says "You need to step outside for a bit, Tommy?" And it's absolutely, one hundred percent the wrong thing to say, because Tommy went fourteen years without needing Brendan to look out for him. He's not his damn kid, he can step outside when he damn well wants to.

"Ah, no way, Brendan. Like I'd miss out on a chance to play happy fucking families with all of you," Tommy says and suddenly all eyes are on him. All except for Rosie, who is still blithely playing with the doll Paddy bought her, singing a nonsense song to it. 

"Tommy. Let's go outside, c'mon man," Brendan tries again, and Tommy knows he's a second away from laying a hand on Tommy's arm or his shoulder and Tommy also knows that if Brendan touches him right now, he's going to lay him out. Instead, he shoves back from the table hard enough that the dishes all slide and Tess' water glass tips over. He's up and out the door in a matter of seconds, but not quick enough that he doesn't hear Emily whisper, "Mommy, why's Uncle Tommy mad?" 

Tommy gets in his truck and drives, ignoring Brendan who's followed him out and is shouting at him from the porch, telling him to come back, to at least say where he's going. Tommy doesn't turn around and doesn't stop until he's at the house, until he's in front of the bag and can pour all his rage into something he can't scare or hurt or disappoint. 

An hour later and he's so exhausted that there's no room for the anger anymore, or the shame. That'll come tomorrow, after he's slept. 

But there are good days, too. More than the bad. In fact, the bad days are getting fewer and farther between. Life is getting comfortable. Comfortable enough that, when Frank talks to him about moving out to LA, Tommy hesitates. But the more Frank talks, the more Tommy realizes that it's the right choice. 

He doesn't tell Brendan until the night before he's scheduled to fly out, wanting to avoid the fight he knows Brendan will start. Brendan doesn't disappoint, trying to talk him out of it all through dinner, and then following Tommy up to continue his pleas while Tommy packs.

"Tommy. You don't have to go," Brendan says, standing in the doorway to Tommy's room. "Whatever I did, let's talk about it, alright?"

"No, man. For the tenth time, it's not you. I'm going for work. Talk to Frank if you don't believe me," Tommy says, but he's not looking at him. He doesn't want to see the hurt on Brendan's face. 

"There are plenty of fights around here. Plenty of gyms. You haven't even finished school!" Tommy doesn't answer any of that, just keeps packing. "Man we've...I just got my brother back and you're running out on me."

It should probably set Tommy off, but it doesn't. He knows what Brendan is trying to say, even if he's making a complete mess out of it. 

Tommy doesn't have much to pack, even after all this time, and when he finishes he walks over to Brendan and puts a hand on his shoulder, right over where the Conlon family crest is. Right over where he tapped out in Sparta. 

"I'll call. Every week, alright? And you're a fucking millionaire now. Think you can afford to fly out every once in awhile." That makes Brendan smile, and he covers Tommy's hand with his own.

"Yeah. Okay, you smart ass. Every damn week. And you let me and the girls drive you out to the airport," Brendan says and Tommy snorts. 

"Whatever you say, brother."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Little Tremors](https://archiveofourown.org/works/671581) by [Sibilant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sibilant/pseuds/Sibilant)




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